Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Diabetes status and post-load plasma glucose concentration in relation to site-specific cancer mortality: findings from the original Whitehall study

  • Published:
Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

ObjectiveWhile several studies have reported on the relation of diabetes status with pancreatic cancer risk, the predictive value of this disorder for other malignancies is unclear. Methods: The Whitehall study, a 25year follow-up for mortality experience of 18,006 men with data on post-challenge blood glucose and self-reported diabetes, allowed us to address these issues. Results: There were 2158 cancer deaths at follow-up. Of the 15 cancer outcomes, diabetes status was positively associated with mortality from carcinoma of the pancreas and liver, while the relationship with lung cancer was inverse, after controlling for a range of potential covariates and mediators which included obesity and socioeconomic position. After excluding deaths occurring in the first 10years of follow-up to examine the effect of reverse causality, the magnitude of the relationships for carcinoma of the pancreas and lung was little altered, while for liver cancer it was markedly attenuated. Conclusions: In the present study, diabetes status was related to pancreatic, liver, and lung cancer risk. Cohorts with serially collected data on blood glucose and covariates are required to further examine this area.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • E Freund (1885) ArticleTitleZur Diagnose des Carcinoms Wien Med Blät 8 268

    Google Scholar 

  • N Trinkler (1890) ArticleTitleUeber die Diagnostische Verwertung des Gehaltes an Zucker und reducirender Substanz im Blute vom Menschen bei verschiedenen Krankheiten Zbl Med Wissen 28 498

    Google Scholar 

  • W Levine AR Dyer RB Shekelle JA Schoenberger J Stamler (1990) ArticleTitlePost-load plasma glucose and cancer mortality in middle-aged men and women. 12-year follow-up findings of the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry Am J Epidemiol 131 254–262

    Google Scholar 

  • L Wideroff G Gridley L Mellemkjaer et al. (1997) ArticleTitleCancer incidence in a population-based cohort of patients hospitalized with diabetes mellitus in Denmark J Natl Cancer Inst 89 1360–1365

    Google Scholar 

  • K Steenland S Nowlin S Palu (1995) ArticleTitleCancer incidence in the national health and nutrition survey I. Follow-up data: diabetes, cholesterol, pulse and physical activity Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 4 807–811

    Google Scholar 

  • SH Saydah CM Loria MS Eberhardt FL Brancati (2003) ArticleTitleAbnormal glucose tolerance and the risk of cancer death in the United States Am J Epidemiol 157 1092–1100

    Google Scholar 

  • G Davey Smith M Egger MJ Shipley MG Marmot (1992) ArticleTitlePost-challenge glucose concentration, impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes, and cancer mortality in men Am J Epidemiol 136 1110–1114

    Google Scholar 

  • M Ragozzino LJ Melton SuffixIII CP Chu PJ Palumbo (1982) ArticleTitleSubsequent cancer risk in the incidence cohort of Rochester, Minnesota, residents with diabetes mellitus J Chronic Dis 35 13–19

    Google Scholar 

  • HO Adami J McLaughlin A Ekbom et al. (1991) ArticleTitleCancer risk in patients with diabetes mellitus Cancer Causes Control 2 307–314

    Google Scholar 

  • J Everhart D Wright (1995) ArticleTitleDiabetes mellitus as a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. A meta-analysis JAMA 273 1605–1609

    Google Scholar 

  • M Mori S Saitoh S Takagi et al. (2000) ArticleTitleA Review of Cohort Studies on the Association Between History of Diabetes Mellitus and Occurrence of Cancer Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 1 269–276

    Google Scholar 

  • A Czyzyk Z Szczepanik (2000) ArticleTitleDiabetes mellitus and cancer Eur J Intern Med 11 245–252

    Google Scholar 

  • AB Lowenfels P Maisonneuve (2002) ArticleTitleEpidemiologic and etiologic factors of pancreatic cancer Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 16 1–16

    Google Scholar 

  • E Ohmura M Okada N Onoda et al. (1990) ArticleTitleInsulin-like growth factor I and transforming growth factor alpha as autocrine growth factors in human pancreatic cancer cell growth Cancer Res 50 103–107

    Google Scholar 

  • Holly JMP, Gunnell DJ, Davey Smith G (2000) Growth hormone, IGF-I and cancer. J Endocrinol.

  • J Permert I Ihse L Jorfeldt H Schenck Particlevon HJ Arnqvist J Larsson (1993) ArticleTitlePancreatic cancer is associated with impaired glucose metabolism Eur J Surg 159 101–107

    Google Scholar 

  • NS Weiss (2002) ArticleTitleCan the ‘specificity’ of an association be rehabilitated as a basis for supporting a causal hypothesis Epidemiology 13 6–8

    Google Scholar 

  • DD Reid PJS Hamilton P McCartney et al. (1974) ArticleTitleCardiorespiratory disease and diabetes among middle-aged male civil servants Lancet i 469–473

    Google Scholar 

  • MG Marmot G Rose M Shipley PJS Hamilton (1978) ArticleTitleEmployment grade and coronary heart disease in British civil servants J Epidemiol Community Health 32 244–249

    Google Scholar 

  • G Davey Smith D Leon MJ Shipley G Rose (1991) ArticleTitleSocioeconomic differentials in cancer among men Int J Epidemiol 20 339–345

    Google Scholar 

  • DD Reid PJ Hamilton P McCartney G Rose RJ Jarrett H Keen (1976) ArticleTitleSmoking and other risk factors for coronary heart-disease in British civil servants Lancet 2 979–984

    Google Scholar 

  • GA Rose (1962) ArticleTitleThe diagnosis of ischaemic heart pain and intermittent claudication in field studies Bull World Health Organ 27 645–658

    Google Scholar 

  • G Davey Smith MJ Shipley G. Rose (1990) ArticleTitleIntermittent claudication, heart disease risk factors, and mortality. The Whitehall Study Circulation 82 1925–1931

    Google Scholar 

  • G Rose P McCartney DD Reid (1977) ArticleTitleSelf-administration of a questionnaire on chest pain and intermittent claudication Br J Prev Soc Med 31 42–48

    Google Scholar 

  • GD Batty MJ Shipley MG Marmot G Davey Smith (2003) ArticleTitleLeisure time physical activity and disease-specific mortality among men with chronic bronchitis: evidence from the Whitehall study Am J Public Health 93 817–821

    Google Scholar 

  • GD Batty M Shipley M Marmot Smith G Davey (2002) ArticleTitlePhysical activity and cause-specific mortality in men: further evidence from the Whitehall study Eur J Epidemiol 17 863–869

    Google Scholar 

  • GD Batty MJ Shipley M Marmot G Davey Smith (2002) ArticleTitlePhysical activity and cause-specific mortality in men with Type 2 diabetes/impaired glucose tolerance: evidence from the Whitehall study Diabet Med 19 580–588

    Google Scholar 

  • G Davey Smith MJ Shipley GD Batty JN Morris M Marmot (2000) ArticleTitlePhysical activity and cause-specific mortality in the Whitehall study Public Health 114 308–315

    Google Scholar 

  • GD Batty MJ Shipley M Marmot G Davey Smith (2002) ArticleTitleLeisure time physical activity and coronary heart disease mortality in men symptomatic or asymptomatic for ischaemia: evidence from the Whitehall study J Public Health Med 25 190–196

    Google Scholar 

  • G Davey Smith MJ Shipley MG Marmot G Rose (1992) ArticleTitlePlasma cholesterol concentration and mortality. The Whitehall Study JAMA 267 70–76

    Google Scholar 

  • RJ Jarrett MJ Shipley R Hunt (1986) ArticleTitlePhysical activity, glucose tolerance, and diabetes mellitus: the Whitehall study Diabet Med 3 549–551

    Google Scholar 

  • GD Batty MJ Shipley MG Marmot G Davey Smith (2003) ArticleTitleBlood pressure and site-specific cancer mortality: evidence from the original Whitehall study Br J Cancer 89 1243–1247

    Google Scholar 

  • MG Marmot MJ Shipley G Rose (1984) ArticleTitleInequalities in death – specific explanations of a general pattern Lancet 1 1003–1006

    Google Scholar 

  • RJ Jarrett MJ Shipley G Rose (1982) ArticleTitleWeight and mortality in the Whitehall Study Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 285 535–537

    Google Scholar 

  • JH Fuller MJ Shipley G Rose RJ Jarrett H Keen (1980) ArticleTitleCoronary-heart-disease risk and impaired glucose tolerance. The Whitehall study Lancet 1 1373–1376

    Google Scholar 

  • Anon (1967) Manual of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death (eighth revision) World Health Organisation Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • J Schafer (1997) Analysis of Incomplete Multivariate Data Chapman and Hall New York

    Google Scholar 

  • DR Cox (1972) ArticleTitleRegression models and life-tables J R Stat Soc Ser B 34 187–220

    Google Scholar 

  • H Brenner (2002) ArticleTitleLong-term survival rates of cancer patients achieved by the end of the 20th century: a period analysis Lancet 360 1131–1135

    Google Scholar 

  • InstitutionalAuthorNameSAS Institute Inc (1989) SAS/STAT(R) User’s Guide, Version 6 Volumes 1 & 2 SAS Institute, Inc Cary, NC

    Google Scholar 

  • II Kessler (1971) ArticleTitleCancer and diabetes mellitus. A review of the literature J Chronic Dis 23 579–600

    Google Scholar 

  • BA O’Mara T Byers E Schoenfeld (1985) ArticleTitleDiabetes mellitus and cancer risk: a multisite case-control study J Chronic Dis 38 435–441

    Google Scholar 

  • L Gullo D Ancona R Pezzilli R Casadei O Campione (1993) ArticleTitleGlucose tolerance and insulin secretion in pancreatic cancer Ital J Gastroenterol 25 487–489

    Google Scholar 

  • J Permert I Ihse L Jorfeldt H Schenck Particlevon HJ Arnquist J Larsson (1993) ArticleTitleImproved glucose metabolism after subtotal pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer Br J Surg 80 1047–1050

    Google Scholar 

  • SM Gapstur PH Gann W Lowe K Liu L Colangelo A Dyer (2000) ArticleTitleAbnormal glucose metabolism and pancreatic cancer mortality JAMA 283 2552–2558

    Google Scholar 

  • WH Chow G Gridley O Nyren et al. (1995) ArticleTitleRisk of pancreatic cancer following diabetes mellitus: a nationwide cohort study in Sweden J Natl Cancer Inst 87 930–931

    Google Scholar 

  • SS Coughlin EE Calle AV Patel MJ Thun (2000) ArticleTitlePredictors of pancreatic cancer mortality among a large cohort of United States adults Cancer Causes Control 11 915–923

    Google Scholar 

  • Y Lin A Tamakoshi T Kawamura et al. (2002) ArticleTitleRisk of pancreatic cancer in relation to alcohol drinking, coffee consumption and medical history: findings from the Japan collaborative cohort study for evaluation of cancer risk Int J Cancer 99 742–746

    Google Scholar 

  • RZ Stolzenber-Solomon P Pietinen PR Taylor J Virtamo D Albanes (2002) ArticleTitleA prospective study of medical conditions, anthropometry, physical activity, and pancreatic cancer in male smokers (Finland) Cancer Causes Control 13 417–426

    Google Scholar 

  • C Vecchia ParticleLA E Negri A Decarli S Franceschi (1997) ArticleTitleDiabetes mellitus and the risk of primary liver cancer Int J Cancer 73 204–207

    Google Scholar 

  • HO Adami WH Chow O Nyren et al. (1996) ArticleTitleExcess risk of primary liver cancer in patients with diabetes mellitus J Natl Cancer Inst 88 1472–1477

    Google Scholar 

  • MC Yu MJ Tong S Govindarajan BE Henderson (1991) ArticleTitleNonviral risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma in a low-risk population, the non-Asians of Los Angeles County, California J␣Natl Cancer Inst 83 1820–1826

    Google Scholar 

  • A Sasaki (1994) ArticleTitleMortality and causes of death in patients with diabetes mellitus in Japan Diabetes Res Clin Pract 24 S299–S306

    Google Scholar 

  • AB Lowenfels (2000) ArticleTitleRelationship between glucose metabolism and pancreatic cancer JAMA 284 1512–1513

    Google Scholar 

  • MG Marmot G Rose MJ Shipley BJ Thomas (1981) ArticleTitleAlcohol and mortality: a U-shaped curve Lancet 1 580–583

    Google Scholar 

  • BA O’Mara T Byers E Schoenfeld (1985) ArticleTitleDiabetes mellitus and cancer risk: a multisite case-control study J Chronic Dis 38 435–441

    Google Scholar 

  • II Kessler (1970) ArticleTitleCancer mortality among diabetics. J Natl Cancer Inst 44 673–686

    Google Scholar 

  • B Armstrong AJ Lea AM Adelstein JW Donovan GC White S Ruttle (1976) ArticleTitleCancer mortality and saccharin consumption in diabetics Br J Prev Soc Med 30 151–157

    Google Scholar 

  • E Breeze AE Fletcher DA Leon MG Marmot RJ Clarke MJ Shipley (2001) ArticleTitleDo socioeconomic disadvantages persist into old age? Self-reported morbidity in a 29-year follow-up of the Whitehall Study Am J Public Health 91 277–283

    Google Scholar 

  • W Fisher L Boros W Schirmer (1996) ArticleTitleInsulin promotes pancreatic cancer: evidence for endocrine influence on exocrine pancreatic tumours J Surg Res 63 310–313

    Google Scholar 

  • E Tabor (1994) ArticleTitleTumor suppressor genes, growth factor genes, and oncogenes in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma J Med Virol 42 357–365

    Google Scholar 

  • JH Fuller MJ Shipley G Rose RJ Jarrett H Keen (1983) ArticleTitleMortality from coronary heart disease and stroke in relation to degree of glycaemia: the Whitehall study Bri Med J 287 867–870

    Google Scholar 

  • JH Fuller P McCartney RJ Jarrett et al. (1979) ArticleTitleHyperglycaemia and coronary heart disease: the Whitehall study J Chronic Dis 32 721–728

    Google Scholar 

  • B Balkau M Shipley RJ Jarrett et al. (1998) ArticleTitleHigh blood glucose concentration is a risk factor for mortality in middle-aged nondiabetic men. 20-year follow-up in the Whitehall Study, the Paris Prospective Study, and the Helsinki Policemen Study Diabetes Care 21 360–367

    Google Scholar 

  • F Vegt Particlede JM Dekker HG Ruhe et al. (1999) ArticleTitleHyperglycaemia is associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in the␣Hoorn population: the Hoorn Study Diabetologia 42 926–931

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, 4 Lilybank Gardens, GLASGOW, G12 8RZ, UK

    G. David. Batty

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 6BT

    Martin J. Shipley & Michael Marmot

  3. Division of Epidemiology, Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Whiteladies Road, Bristol, BS8 2PR

    George Davey Smith

Authors
  1. G. David. Batty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Martin J. Shipley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael Marmot
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. George Davey Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. David. Batty.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Batty, G.D., Shipley, M.J., Marmot, M. et al. Diabetes status and post-load plasma glucose concentration in relation to site-specific cancer mortality: findings from the original Whitehall study. Cancer Causes Control 15, 873–881 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-004-1050-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-004-1050-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation